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Carrot Cake Loaf With Zesty Citrus Glaze

5 from 7 votes
Sliced carrot cake loaf with a citrus glaze and chopped pistachios.
This adaptable carrot cake loaf is moist, full of warming spices, and topped with a mouthwatering, zesty citrus glaze. It's dairy-free, can be made gluten-free, and comes with heaps of substitution ideas.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes

Ingredients
 

Carrot Cake Loaf

Citrus Glaze

  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon each of orange and lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to thin if needed
  • chopped pistachios for topping, optional

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper (alternatively you can use oil or oil spray).
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cardamom, and salt. In a medium bowl, "cream" together the brown sugar and oil. Whisk in the eggs before mixing in the yogurt, orange zest, vanilla extract and finely grated carrots.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold them together until just combined, making sure not to over mix them. Transfer the batter to your well-greased or parchment paper lined 9x5 pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour* (see notes) or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  • Let it cool in the pan for 20 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. When the loaf is nearly cool, whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle on top. Add chopped pistachios if desired.

Notes

Baking times vary depending on how hot your oven is, so start checking at the 45 minute mark in 5 minute increments.
Make it gluten-free - sub gluten-free 1:1 flour in place of the AP flour
No brown sugar? - you can also use coconut sugar or organic cane sugar, the cake just won't be as moist. It's important to note that liquid sweeteners won't work in this recipe.
No yogurt? - sub the same amount of unsweetened apple sauce, pumpkin puree, mashed banana, or sour cream.
Make it vegan - I would either use 6 tablespoons of aquafaba or make 2 flax eggs - although I haven't done it with this recipe, I've previously used flax eggs in a similar loaf with success.
No carrots? - you can also use grated zucchini or apple.
Add-ins - chopped pecans, pistachios, walnuts, raisins, or dried cranberries.